The text of the Bush speech in Brussels has raised some eyebrows in Indian Country. The complete transcript is here. The full context of the remark is below, the eyebrow raising bits are in bold.
Our efforts are guided by a clear vision: We're determined to see two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. The Palestinian people deserve a government that is representative, honest and peaceful. The people of Israel need an end to terror and a reliable, steadfast partner for peace. And the world must not rest until there is a just and lasting resolution to this conflict.All the parties have responsibilities to meet.
Arab states must end incitement in their own media, cut off public and private funding for terrorism, stop their support for extremist education, and establish normal relations with Israel.
Palestinian leaders must confront and dismantle terrorist groups, fight corruption, encourage free enterprise, and rest true authority with the people. Only a democracy can serve the hopes of Palestinians and make Israel secure and raise the flag of a free Palestine.
A successful Palestinian democracy should be Israel's top goal as well. So Israel must freeze settlement activity, help Palestinians build a thriving economy, and ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable, with contiguous territory on the West Bank.
A state of scattered territories will not work.
As Palestinian leaders assume responsibility for Gaza and an increasingly larger territory, we will help them build the economic and political and security institutions needed to govern effectively.
West of the Mississippi the general rule for land title is the checkerboard. Tribal jurisdictions are checkerboarded. It is a fact of life. The following case is before the Supremes in the current session, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians v. Smith.
Responding to a radio dispatch to emergency 9-11call to administer Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation to a woman who had collapsed on one of the four discontiguous parcels of the reservation of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, a tribal police officer operating a tribal patrol car exited one section of the reservation and entered Riverside County, where a county deputy was lying in wait. The county deputy stopped the tribal police officer and cited him for impersonation of a police officer. This took 12 minutes.In the California motor vehicle code, the use of emergency light bars is limited to "authorized emergency vehicles" performing emergency services. It is standing practice for Riverside County Sheriffs to stop and cite tribal employees operating public service vehicles if the vehicle has a light bar.
The 17 uniformed and armed tribal police officers patrol the reservation in marked police vehicles. The Tribe's Public Safety Department receives federal funding and its officers receive mandatory federal law enforcement training. The vehicles bear U.S. government licence plates issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs ("BIA") and are marked on the sides and rear with the words "Tribal Law Enforcement" and on the sides with "Cabazon". However, tribal police vehicles were not designated "authorized emergency vehicles" within the meaning of Vehicle Code section 165.
They tried taking the lightbars off, however that violated BIA regulations for public safety vehicles. They tried canvas bagging the lightbars. That added several minutes to every inter-section emergency call and placed the officers at-risk while reducing the visibility of their vehicle.
The Supreme Court has articulated two tests to determine whether a particular state law is preempted in literation involving Indian tribes. Ostensibly, which test applies depends on whether the activity to be regulated occurs on (White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker, 448 U.S. 136, 100 S.Ct. 2578, 65 L.Ed.2d 665 (1980)) or off (Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones, 411 U.S. 145, 93 S.Ct. 1267, 36 L.Ed.2d 114 (1973)) reservation.
Of course the woman died.
Posted by EBW at February 23, 2005 08:15 AM | TrackBackBastards. God, I'm sick of how easily people rationalize evil in this "godly" country of ours.
Posted by: Susie from Philly at February 23, 2005 10:25 AMThis is truly disgusting. WTF is their problem that they feel the need to do this?
Posted by: Leslie in CA at February 23, 2005 12:47 PM